Home Health Care Office Software

1. Home Health CareOffice Software INF 566 Technology Assessment David P. Salley

2. Gerland Home Health Care The company provides in-home medical staffing (nurses, physical therapists, home health aides, housekeeping, companionship aides, etc.) and also provides staff for nursing homes and other medical facilities. The company has recently decided to acquire office productivity software for processing documents, scheduling, patient tracking, sales presentations, physician referrals, patient forms, etc.

3. New York Offices Niagara Falls Buffalo -- Headquarters Hamburg Dunkirk Olean Hudson Valley Ohio Offices Akron Cleveland Gerland Home Health Care

4. Employee Statistics 300 Employees total • 1 Chief Executive Officer • 1 Chief Technical Officer – System Administrator • 5 Sales Staff – 1 V.P. & 4 Associates • 3 IT – Web projects, Database & Desktop Support Managers, no specialized training • 8 Liaisons – 1 in each office • 8 Data Entry Personnel – 1 in each office • The remainder -- nurses, physical therapists, home health care aides, physician's office staff

5. Employee Statistics • High turnover of field staff • Low turnover of office staff • Corporate growth is approx. 10% annually • Field staff allowed to view patient data • Office staff allowed to view patient data • Sales staff not allowed to view patient data

6. Current system • VPN connection to central HQ (virtual private network) • AS400 iServer from IBM • Software 8+ yrs old, purchased from vendor • 1 GB memory • 75 GB hard disk • Windows 2003 OS • Databases: MySQL, MSSQL, DB2 • Linux email • Employees use dial-up, ISDN, DSL, cable, modem • Employees use any/all browsers, email systems

7. Virtual Private Network(courtesy of http://howstuffworks.com)

8. Virtual Private Network Security(courtesy of http://www.positivenetworks.com)

9. Office Productivity Software needs: • processing documents • scheduling • patient tracking • sales marketing presentations • physicians' referral letters • patient forms (records, etc.) • up and running within 12 weeks of decision • HIPAA compliant

10. HIPAA -- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. In brief: • 1. Improved efficiency in healthcare delivery by standardization of electronic data • 2. Protecting confidentiality and security of health data by setting and enforcing standards.

11. Advantages Greater data privacy Better security Custom fit to needs Can sell software packages to recoup development costs Disadvantages No IT on staff – hire! Time consuming High ownership cost 1st Gen software : errors HIPAA compliant? No company experience In-House Development

12. In-House Development Costs According to Salary.com, a Level III Programmer in Buffalo, NY earns $49,815 annually. Round off to $50K = $25/hr Optimistically: 12 wks x 40 hrs/wk x $25/hr x 4 programmers = 480 hrs x $100/hr = $48,000

13. Advantages Cheap Customizable Greater data privacy Disadvantages No tech support May not be suitable Hire programmer to customize code Less secure – hackable HIPAA compliant? No company experience Open Source Software

14. Reviewed and Rejected • 2K Medical Records (www.2kmedicalrecords.com) • AdvancedMD (www.advancedmd.com) • Ajexus (www.ajexus.com) • EdgeMed (www.edgemed.com) • LeonardoMD (www.leonardomd.com) • Med2020 (www.med2020.ca)

15. Reviewed and Rejected (cont’d) • Medical Software DB Systems (www.medicineau.net.au) • Medi-notes (www.medinotes.com) • PatientSoft (www.patientsoft.com) • SpectraSoft (http://appts32.co.uk) • Surgical Information Systems (www.orsoftware.com) • Televox (www.televox.com)

16. Plexis Healthcare – 4th Choice • HIPAA compliant • Windows 2000 or better • MySQL or MSSQL database • User-friendly interface • 50 standard customizable reports • System security allows nurses, not sales. • 3 day training course available • Phone and e-mail support available

17. American Health Care – 3rd Choice • HIPAA compliant • Designed for an AS400 IBM computer • Can purchase only the modules you need. • User-friendly screen entry • Patient & Prescription tracking • Staffing schedules and training needs • Data security • Automated Billing • Multiple customizable reports

18. MediSoft – 2nd Choice • HIPAA compliant • Patient tracking • Scheduling modules • Doctor direct entry – no data entry needed • Claims tracking • Billing & Medicare • Report generator • Interactive training (7 CDs) + online • Phone and online support -- $900/yr

19. Medservices – 1st Choice • HIPAA compliant • Windows NT or Windows 2003 • 128MB RAM, 500MB hard disk • 30 standard reports, customization available • maintenance contract includes patches, minor upgrades • leased, 5 user licenses, $135/mo on 2 year contract ($3,240) • Additional user licenses available, ownership after 2 years without additional payment

20. Medservices (cont’d) • Volunteer/Physician module • Inventory module • Donor module • Prescription module • Patient Assistance Program module • Bill Tracking module • Patient Imaging module • Scheduling module • Query / Report Writer module

21. Bibliography – Notes • http://www.hipaa.org • http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa (U.S. Health & Human Services Dept.) • http://www.positivenetworks.com (VPN security diagram) • http://computer.howstuffworks.com (VPN diagram) • http://www.salary.com • INF566 Discussion board notes

22. Bibliography – Accepted • American Health Co (www.ahconline.com) • MediSoft (www.medisoft.com) • MedServices (www.datanetsolutions.org) • PlexisWeb (www.plexisweb.com)

23. Bibliography – Rejected • 2K Medical Records (www.2kmedicalrecords.com) • Ajexus (www.ajexus.com) • Advanced MD (www.advancedmd.com) • EdgeMed (www.edgemed.com) • LeonardoMD (www.leonardomd.com) • Med2020 (www.med2020.ca)

24. Bibliography – Rejected • Medical Software DB Systems (www.medicineau.net.au) • Medi-notes (www.medinotes.com) • PatientSoft (www.patientsoft.com) • SpectraSoft (http://appts32.co.uk) • Surgical Information Systems (www.orsoftware.com) • Televox (www.televox.com)